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Porter Novelli Brussels is a European communications and public relations hub for international client work. With 30 communications professionals, we specialize in corporate, technology, consumer and health care communications and have design and production capabilities. But it’s our people that really make the difference: pioneering spirits, innovative thinkers and creative communicators, working as part of a global network to bring vision and insight to each challenge our clients’ businesses face, achieving for our clients not only what is great, but always greater than they thought possible.

If you are a talented communications expert with deep understanding of the food and nutrition industry, we want YOU on our team!

You have a proven track record in successfully developing and managing public relations programmes

You have excellent understanding of the trends and issues in the food and nutrition industry Food marketing has no secrets for you, as you have worked for big names in the industry

You have excellent knowledge of CSR principles and processes, such as CSR reporting and tools

You are known for building strong client relationships: you are a trusted advisor to clients and demonstrate sound and timely decision-making

You can effectively translate client challenges into communications strategies and you can independently drive strategy execution

You have a commercial mindset and consider business development part of your day-to-day job

You are a motivated multi-tasker who can handle multiple projects and ensures timely high quality delivery, every time

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: developing and managing public relations programmes for a variety of clients; developing and editing high quality written materials including press releases, fact sheets, backgrounders, Q & A’s, website content and general client correspondence; coordinating creative projects working with account and creative teams; business development initiatives for existing clients and prospects; active involvement in agency initiatives.

Porter Novelli Brussels is a European communications and public relations hub for international client work. With 30 communications professionals, we specialize in corporate, technology, consumer and health care communications and have design and production capabilities. But it’s our people that really make the difference: pioneering spirits, innovative thinkers and creative communicators, working as part of a global network to bring vision and insight to each challenge our clients’ businesses face, achieving for our clients not only what is great, but always greater than they thought possible.

If you are a talented native English Copywriter with a keen interest in public relations, we want YOU on our team!

You are an excellent writer with a flexible writing approach for different industry sectors

You have a good understanding of public relations and social media and you are eager to learn more.

You are all about client service and you like to play an active role in coordinating and implementing daily account activities on behalf of the client.

You can independently plan and execute assignments in a timely and proactive manner under the direction of an Account Director or a Senior Consultant.

You are a motivated multi-tasker who can handle multiple projects and ensures high quality delivery, every time.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: developing and editing high quality written materials including press releases, fact sheets, backgrounders, Q & A’s, website content and general client correspondence; coordinating creative projects working with account and creative teams; coordinating and executing events; developing and maintaining Belgian and/or European media relations; contributing to brainstorms and active involvement in agency initiatives.

Demonstrated ability to work well with others in both team and independent environments

A good understanding of public relations concepts, tactics and media relations

A good understanding of social media strategies, social media protocol and the ability to monitor social media networks for potential opportunities

Efficiency in MS Office, database management and online research

A minimum of one year of professional experience required, ideally with a B2B communications and/or agency background

Higher education, preferably in Communications or a PR related discipline

Our ideal candidate is customer-focused, curious, flexible, stress-resistant, efficient, proactive, a team player and above all enthusiastic, willing and keen

We offer:

An exciting job in an energetic, professional and fun international environment

Interesting and challenging assignments

Career prospects

Competitive salary

Candidates must be legally entitled to work in Belgium on a long-term basis!!!

Interested candidates must send their CV, cover letter and 1 writing sample in English (relevant to the job profile and no more than 2 pages) to Febe Boone (febe.boone@porternovelli.be) by April 18, 2014.

Only applicants called for an interview will be contacted. Interviews will be held in Brussels late April with a view for the successful candidate to start as soon as possible.

Porter Novelli Brussels is a European communications and public relations hub for international client work. With 30 communications professionals, we specialize in corporate, technology, consumer and health care communications and have design and production capabilities. But it’s our people that really make the difference: pioneering spirits, innovative thinkers and creative communicators, working as part of a global network to bring vision and insight to each challenge our clients’ businesses face, achieving for our clients not only what is great, but always greater than they thought possible.

If you are a talented and experienced native English Copywriter with commercial flair, we want YOU on our team!

You are an excellent writer with a flexible writing approach for different industry sectors

You have a good understanding of public relations and a proven track record in successfully developing and managing communications programmes

You are known for building strong client relationships: you are a trusted advisor to clients and demonstrate sound and timely decision-making

You like to wrap your head around client challenges and translate them into communications strategies. You can independently drive strategy execution

You have a commercial mindset and like working with senior staff in business development areas that can lead to organic growth within existing clients or to new business opportunities

You are a motivated multi-tasker who can handle multiple projects and ensures high quality delivery, every time

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: developing and managing communications and media relations programmes for a variety of clients in different industries; developing and editing high quality written materials including press releases, fact sheets, backgrounders, Q & A’s, website content and general client correspondence; coordinating creative projects working with account and creative teams; coordinating and executing events; developing and maintaining Belgian and/or European media relations; contributing to brainstorms and new business initiatives such as pitches; active involvement in agency initiatives.

Outstanding written and verbal skills (English native or equivalent is mandatory) + possibly one other language (French/Dutch/German/Spanish)

Proven ability to effectively organize and manage multiple responsibilities and projects in support of internal or external clients

A good understanding of public relations, media relations and social media

Demonstrated ability to work well with others in both team and independent environments

A commercial mindset

4 to 6 years of professional experience required, ideally with a B2B communications and/or agency background

Higher education, preferably in Communications or a PR related discipline

Our ideal candidate is customer-focused, curious, flexible, stress-resistant, efficient, pro-active, a team player and above all enthusiastic, willing and keen

We offer:

An exciting job in an energetic, professional and fun international environment

Interesting and challenging assignments

Career prospects

Competitive salary

Candidates must be legally entitled to work in Belgium on a long-term basis!!!

Interested candidates must send their CV, cover letter and 1 writing sample in English (relevant to the job profile and no more than 2 pages) to Febe Boone (febe.boone@porternovelli.be) by April 18, 2014.

Only applicants called for an interview will be contacted. Interviews will be held in Brussels late April with a view for the successful candidate to start as soon as possible.

Porter Novelli Brussels is a European communications and public relations hub for international client work. With 30 communications professionals, we specialize in corporate, technology, consumer and health care communications and have design and production capabilities. But it’s our people that really make the difference: pioneering spirits, innovative thinkers and creative communicators, working as part of a global network to bring vision and insight to each challenge our clients’ businesses face, achieving for our clients not only what is great, but always greater than they thought possible.

If you are a talented media relations/financial communications expert, we want YOU on our team!

You have a proven track record in successfully developing and managing media relations/financial communications programmes.

You have excellent relationships with both offline and online media, and you know how who to sell in a story.

You are also known for building strong client relationships: you are a trusted advisor to clients and demonstrate sound and timely decision-making.

You like to wrap your head around client challenges and translate them into communications strategies. You can independently drive strategy execution.

You have a commercial mindset and like working with senior staff in business development areas that can lead to organic growth within existing clients or to new business opportunities.

You are a motivated multi-tasker who can handle multiple projects and ensures high quality delivery, every time.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: developing and managing communications and media relations programmes for a variety of clients in different industries; developing and editing high quality written materials including press releases, fact sheets, backgrounders, Q & A’s, website content and general client correspondence; coordinating and executing events; developing and maintaining Belgian and/or European media relations; contributing to brainstorms and new business initiatives such as pitches; active involvement in agency initiatives.

Outstanding written and verbal skills in Dutch and French (bilingual), with excellent English

Solid media relations/financial communications expertise

Flexible writing approach for different industry sectors

Proven ability to effectively organize and manage multiple responsibilities and projects in support of internal or external clients

Demonstrated ability to work well with others in both team and independent environments

A commercial mindset

4 to 6 years of professional experience required, ideally with a B2B communications and/or agency background

Higher education, preferably in Communications or a PR related discipline

Our ideal candidate is customer-focused, curious, flexible, stress-resistant, efficient, pro-active, a team player and above all enthusiastic, willing and keen

We offer:

An exciting job in an energetic, professional and fun international environment

Interesting and challenging assignments

Career prospects

Competitive salary

Interested candidates must send their CV, cover letter and 1 writing sample in English (relevant to the job profile and no more than 2 pages) to Febe Boone (febe.boone@porternovelli.be) by April 18, 2014.

Interviews will be held in Brussels late April with a view for the successful candidate to start as soon as possible.

Belgian telecom player Telenet has been having a very hard time coping with a pop-up Facebook page criticising the provider for attracting new customers with an iPad mini as a welcome gadget. In less than two days’ time the “Telenet, we loyal customers would also appreciate receiving a gift” Facebook page accumulated more than 110.000 likes, far more than Telenet’s proprietary page ever had.

For us, issue managers and crisis experts, it’s yet another interesting case underlining the power of social media. Did Telenet pick up and manage the sudden reputation crisis in a professional manner? Unfortunately not. When the company announced that they would respond at the end of the day, it was clear that the response would be too little too late. And so it was. But I don’t want to analyse Telenet’s response and missed opportunity to prevent a reputation issue from turning into a business issue. I want to go to the essence of the story.

A rightful claim launched on a newly created Facebook page completely derailed under a wave of frustrations vented by Telenet customers. It was probably not the intention of the creator of the page, a loyal Telenet customer, to kick off such a chain reaction. She merely wanted to make a point about companies attracting new customers with new toys while ignoring existing customers’ concerns and complaints. Mobistar learned a hard lesson in this respect. Now it seems to be Telenet’s turn to learn that customer attraction and attrition should be equally evaluated on service quality and pricing and not be influenced by perks awarded to merely buying the service. Isn’t high quality service for a correct price what all customers – new and existing ones – at the end of the day are really looking for?

Social media platforms are great tools to bring people together and make things move forward for the better. Telenet’s experience unfortunately highlights the vulnerability of B2C companies in this respect. It’s a hard learned lesson about customer relations, as the power of social media can turn an innocent initiative of one individual into a an unforgiving crowd in no time.

It will be interesting to see how Telenet will pick up its customers’ signal and how companies in general will learn from its experience.

We are on the lookout for an enthusiastic, media-minded and social media savvy trainee to support our consumer team!

The following skills and competences are what we are looking for in a candidate:

• Research skills
• Copywriting
• Creativity
• A feel for social media
• An interest in media relations
• Fluent in Dutch & English (any additional language is a plus!)
• A hands-on mentality

Depending on the profile of the student, we will make sure she or he gets a tailor-made trainee program which builds on the student’s individual talents and selected assignments from the following categories:

Let’s be honest. Most of us still have that little kid inside us that really wants a good grade. I know I do. And I suspect some of our clients might as well. When determining the objectives of a new project, these tend to take the form of a certain quantitative measure as an indicator for success, such as the amount of press coverage, the number of consumer reviews or event attendance numbers.

However in our business, it’s not just about the numbers. What we strive for every day, is a fine balance between quality and quantity (and in an ideal world, achieve both). Getting your messages published in that specific trade publication or having those select few key influencers attend your event can have a significant impact. You’re not just reaching a broad anonymous public, but a targeted audience that’s in line with your strategic goals. And that is exactly what our job is about.

When a brand takes its first steps in the field of digital communications, it can easily fall into the quantity trap. Fans, friends, followers … they’re all such seducing KPIs. One gets greedy and keeps wanting more and more of them. But this greed for community members may in fact be a hindrance, blinding us to what really counts.

Granted, as a warm blooded community manager, my heart skips a tiny beat with every new fan, every new person to connect with. Nonetheless, we should always strive toward a qualitative, rather than a sizable fan/followers base. Sure, a Facebook page with thousands of fans looks nice, but it isn’t automatically proof of an effective digital program.

Through a relevant content strategy and balanced advertising plan we should aim to reach those people that matter most to our clients. You can imagine how much more valuable it is for a baby care brand to reach one young mom, compared to having three teenage boys as new Facebook fans. From the outset we need to focus on quality, and set out to touch those fans and followers that will connect with the brand in a significant way and form an engaged community – A community with a strong conversion rate, because that is where the return on your social media can be found. So in a way, it does all come back to numbers, now doesn’t it?

Engagement has been worshipped as the golden calf of social media for as long as we can remember. Having a lot of that sweet, sweet engagement meant that you were doing good. The more people liking your content, the better your organisation was doing in the digital landscape! Seems obvious, right? Right?

Discussions, retweets, likes, comments – because such engagement is the easiest quantifiable outcome of a brand’s social efforts, it has become one of the standards to measure the effectiveness of social media campaigns. But how does engagement really help a company?

If a popular consumer brand posts an otherwise irrelevant picture of a Lolcat at the right time on the right channel, chances are that this will create a lot of engagement. Great! Fans will react to the picture, share it and “engage” with the brand. But does this kind of engagement help you obtain your objectives? If you’re not selling cats or pet accessories, chances are it isn’t.

What is then meaningful social media engagement?

This all depends on where your organisation wants to go. Rather than having futile – and often desperate – cries for social media engagement, an organisation’s social efforts should be in line with its overarching goals and strategies. As a very wise cat once said: “If you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t matter which road you pick.”

Once you get your goals sorted, it all comes down to content. Content was, is and will always be king. Rather than going for content that will drive meaningless engagement, organisations should get to know their target audience and prepare high-quality content, tailored to their needs and interests. This content should then be spread through a combination of organic and paid means. If you reach the right audience with the right content, meaningful engagement will follow. This high-quality, relevant engagement is worth more than all the likes your crazy cat pictures can get.

Engagement is not a useless metric. In many cases it’s a good indicator of how you’re doing. But rather than looking at the quantity of engagement you’re getting, the focus should be on its quality with a focus on the end goals – e.g. tracking referrals to your e-commerce site and eventual purchase. Engagement is essential and good, it’s what makes social media social, but it’s not the way to measure success.

Thank you for attending the Porter Novelli Traffic Jam social event on Sunday, 12 May. We hope you enjoyed the short film, the atmosphere, the entertainment and, of course, the company. We look forward to welcoming you at one of Porter Novelli’s future events!

How can we make our campaign, product, idea more infectious? Why does one video go viral while the other gets less than 500 views? It is a never ending question, one that every marketer, agency and brand has asked themselves more than once. As there is no clear answer, we like to think that it’s luck. But according to Jonah Berger, a professor of marketing at Wharton Business School and author of the book Contagious: Why Things Catch On, it’s not luck. It’s science.

At his SXSW session, Berger might not have entirely solved the mystery but he has definitely shared some really good insights based on the 10-year research he conducted on why a product, a video, or an idea becomes more infectious.

INFLUENCERS ARE NOT THE ANSWER

It is common thinking that to generate word-of-mouth you need a handful individuals which are exceptionally ‘connected’. Even though influencers might help you with creating awareness around your product or campaign, they are usually not very effective in making things go viral. Contagious content spreads regardless of who is doing the talking, therefore think of not focusing too much on the messenger but rather on the message.

MENTAL TRIGGERS

Ever wondered why Rebecca Black went (and still is) so annoyingly viral? Because every Friday, people still search YouTube for her video. Friday, in this case, is what Berger calls a mental trigger, stimuli that reminds people of products and ideas, prompt people to think about related things. Designing products and campaigns that are frequently triggered by the environment is key.

SOCIAL CURRENCY

Have you ever saw something you really liked but decided not to share it after all? Do you remember why you didn’t do it? Most probably because you thought it would reflect badly on you or make you seem dull, dumb, boring? Word-of-mouth has become a tool for us, to make a good impression, just like the car we drive and the clothes we choose to wear. Sharing has become a social currency so next time you are developing a campaign, think about how you can give people a way to make themselves look entertaining, clever and hip while promoting your products along the way.

If still in doubt, get a mean Panda to help you create word-of-mouth for your brand. It sure is contagious.